Wolf Moon (Alpha Wolf Academy Book 2)

by JJ King

  I looked at her in surprise. “Aren’t those poisonous?” We didn’t have them in Newfoundland, but I’d learned about them somewhere, in a book or movie, more than likely.

  She nodded, slowly. “Parts of them are. But the berries can be used to bring down fevers and treat flu-like symptoms.” A whisper of a smile lifted her lips. “My nookomis is a healer in our tribe.” Adeline glanced up with an apologetic shrug. “My grandmother. I’m Algonquin.”

  I studied her in the light cast by the fire. She was beautiful, I thought, but in a way that was so much deeper than her skin. I wondered why she chose to associate with people like Benson and Daniella. I started to ask but she rose to her feet and walked away before I could.

  One by one, the others shifted back and made their way to the roaring fire I’d constructed at the center of the clearing. It was much bigger than the two flanking Ms. Morgan and threw off a lot of heat. I’d dragged a few loose seats from the plane over even though I had no urge to ever sit in one of those seats ever again. Instead, I sat on a piece of wood I’d managed to rip free from a fallen tree. It wasn’t comfortable, but it also wasn’t one of the death seats from the plane.

  The fire brought back memories of home, family, and friends that made my chest contract painfully. I reached my feet out towards it, careful to keep my boots out of melting distance, and closed my eyes.

  I felt the others join me but kept my eyes shut. As long as I didn’t see the jagged metal scraps of the plane and the tightly pulled lines around the others’ mouths, I could pretend I was home and safe or that this was just a nightmare.

  A soft, lilting voice, accompanied by the snap of the fire broke the silence of the night air. I lifted my eyelids and looked across the expanse of flames to see who was singing.

  Adeline’s gaze was trained on the fire that highlighted her native American features, making her look as if she glowed despite the swelling around her tired eyes. She swayed gently, completely entranced as the lyrics to Yesterday slipped from her mouth and lifted into the sky, joining the swirling snowflakes that fell around them.

  I thought back to yesterday and a smile fluttered around my lips. I’d been so wrapped up in my own darkness, in my fear and grief of the attack that I’d let it drag me under until it felt like I was drowning. Bash had pulled me out of the shadows and grounded me, reminded me of the good in our lives. I’d found my mate, we’d found each other, and the fullness of that was extraordinary.

  I’d had troubles yesterday, I thought with a quiet chuckle, ones I’d considered too heavy to bear. Then I’d been in a plane crash and watched people die. It definitely put things into perspective.

  Some of us hadn’t survived.

  For the second time in so many months, I’d survived a catastrophe. Why? The question burned through me as Adeline sang softly and others joined in. The sweet, sad melody brought tears to my eyes that trailed frozen tears down my cheeks.

  Dr. Mira called it survivor’s guilt and I understood the psychology behind it, I did. I just didn’t know how to make it go away and now, here I was, alive again when others weren’t. We’d lain their bodies side by side and covered them best we could to keep predators away, but they were gone. The light that had reflected their souls had been extinguished and why? They wouldn’t have even been on the plane if I hadn’t been called back to the academy. A fresh swell of bitter grief washed over me and I fought to swallow the emotion that surged.

  “You aren’t to blame,” Connor’s voice startled me. I hadn’t heard him approach and squat down next to me. I turned away to hide the tears that fell now, loosed by the simple kindness of his words and the sharp reminder that he’d always known what I was feeling.

  I brought a fist to my mouth and bit down on my own flesh, wishing for an instant that I could turn into him and bury my head in his neck like I used to. But I couldn’t erase the past or the fresh anger that burned like acid in my gut whenever I looked at him.

  His hand touched my arm lightly but the weight of it felt like lead on my soul. I turned with a glare, yanking my arm away from his touch, and hissed, “Don’t touch me!”

  His icy eyes flared with emotion, too much for me to decipher even if I cared to waste my energies doing so. Then he was gone, stalking into the forest without a word. I watched him for a moment then turned my gaze back to the fire…

  … and met Daniella’s knowing gaze across the flames.

  Chapter 17

  I did my best to avoid Daniella all evening and actually succeeded at my task by staying busy and out of her way.

  I felt her gaze on me, though, wondering constantly about what she’d seen between Connor and me. I also felt the press of her mind against mine, but I blocked that out pretty easily since I knew what the tentative flutters against my mental wall were.

  It was strange, having this connection with her. I’d have to ask Sylvie about it when we got back, but I’d never heard of a twin having a mental connection with their sibling’s soul mate. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense as a possibility, especially with twins are close as Bash and Daniella, but it was unnerving, especially given our frigid relationship.

  She hated me and had since the moment she’d seen me on the first day of classes. While I hadn’t hated her straight away, I’d definitely tagged her as an imperious bitch who thought the world should bow at her impressively heeled feet. I’d been right. Even after I’d saved her life she’d remained aloof and dismissive of me. I didn’t want her anywhere near my thoughts and memories.

  So, I kept busy and pretended not to notice when Connor slipped into the tree line with Joaquin to “catch a few rabbits” as they called out before leaving.

  I wasn’t the only one staying busy. Everyone not gone off hunting quietly got to work, helping around our make-shift camp, tending the fire, gathering wood, and searching through the debris. As the sun sank lower in the western sky, a light flurry of snow fluttered down, beautiful in any other circumstance, but hated now. I brushed the snow off my shoulders and kept rummaging through the battered luggage I’d found strewn across the countryside. There were some clothes in them, but nothing of real substance. Still, I knew the others would be grateful for each piece to layer on.

  I was smiling down at a pair of thermal underwear when I felt Daniella’s presence right behind me like the fucking grim reaper. I blew out an annoyed breath and stood up, turning to face her, then just raised my eyebrows and waited for her to spew whatever vitriol she needed to spew. It didn’t take long to come.

  Daniella’s breath was hot on my cheek as she stepped in close to hiss, “If you’re cheating on my brother, I will destroy you.”

  I opened my mouth to respond, but it just kept coming.

  “I don’t care who you are or if you have brass to keep you safe.” Spittle flew from Daniella’s mouth, a true testament to the intensity of her fury. “If you break Bash’s heart, I will rip the limbs from your fucking body.” Her eyes sparked with fire and anger.

  This time, I paused and waited to see if she’d continue. When she just glared at me, waiting, I sighed and simply said, “Bash is the only man I love. I would never, in a million years, cheat on him, especially with…” I caught myself before I could say Connor’s name and blew out another breath. “It’s complicated but I’d never cheat on Bash.”

  “Then uncomplicate it,” Daniella growled through gritted teeth.

  I wasn’t going to get rid of her, I decided, and with this newly discovered connection of ours, it was only a matter of time before I slipped and she got a good peek into my psyche. I had no choice but to trust my nemesis with my biggest secret. No, I realized with a start, not my biggest secret. She already knew who I really was and hadn’t told a soul. Not for my safety, I’m sure. For Bash. I wondered if he’d sworn her to twin secrecy.

  Because, if nothing else, I appreciated Daniella’s fierce loyalty to her brother, I nodded towards the woods and murmured, “Walk with me.”

  The light from t
he fire stretched far but didn’t make it past the thick line of trees that we slipped through to find privacy. I kicked at a clump of snow and wished Rory was here, then immediately realized the implications of that wish and took it back. It was so easy talking to her, though. Like it had always been with Bethany and Sara. I missed them all right now.

  Steeling myself for the look I knew would be painted on Daniella’s face, I turned and was met by a hipshot stance and arched eyebrow. Yup, just what I’d expected.

  “I met Connor when I was sixteen years old, back in Newfoundland,” I began slowly, hoping the words would just come to me if I started from the beginning. “He was a year older than me and gorgeous and from a completely different world.” I chewed on my lip and remembered how it had been back then.

  Daniella’s eyebrow lifted impossibly higher.

  “We dated,” I said simply, knowing it was another lie of omission, but not wanting to go into the details. “For almost a year, then he…” I shrugged and shook my head, “broke up with me and acted like he didn’t even know me.” I chuckled wryly. “He was my world and then he treated me like I didn’t exist.”

  Daniella’s mask faltered and I saw more questions in her eyes than rage. She considered with narrowed eyes, then asked, “So, why is a random boy from your hometown guarding the heir to the Russian Alphaship?”

  Right to the heart of it, I thought, impressed with how quickly her mind worked. She might be a pain in my ass, but she was a smart pain in my ass. “Because he was never a random boy. He was sent by The Sisterhood.”

  That eyebrow arched again but this time it was in surprise. “And he dated you? For almost a year?”

  I nodded slowly. “Yeah, he did.” The memory of it crushed me even now that my heart was claimed fully by another.

  Daniella sat down on a fallen log and made a commiserative sound. “So, your first love was a spy for The Sisterhood who lied to you about who he was and broke your heart.” She said it as a statement, not a question, because there was little question as to what had happened. It was written all over my face.

  So, I just nodded again.

  “Does Bash know?”

  There it was. The question I’d known was coming, the one I’d tried to hide from. I wouldn’t lie to her, though, what was the point. She’d probably be able to sense the falsehood, anyway. Weird psychic connection.

  “No,” I said quietly, lifting my gaze to meet hers. “Nobody but Rory knows.”

  Daniella’s eyebrow quirked. “You shared your past with Aurora Dumont but not Bash?” She said Rory’s full name with a clipped contempt that pissed me off.

  Heat rushed to my cheeks and I had to grit my teeth to stop myself from shouting. “Yes, I told Rory. She’s the only friend I have at AWA and she’s the only one in my life who would keep it secret.” I balled my hands into fists as my emotions swirled and fought for dominance.

  “Why?”

  Daniella’s soft question stopped me dead. I stared at her in wonder and opened my mouth to rant about her horrible treatment of me, the attack, all of it.

  “Why do you want to keep Connor a secret?” Daniella tilted her head to the side and watched me with shrewd eyes.

  The fight left me in a whoosh that left me staggering. I reached for a tree branch to steady myself and turned my face away to find my breath and balance. Her question beat against my mind like a drum, insistently, demanding an answer. Why did I want to keep my past with Connor a secret? The LaFlammes and The Sisterhood had scores of amazing guards, I didn’t need to have a constant reminder of heartbreak with me every single day, making my life a never-ending ball of stress.

  “He’s the only one I can trust to keep me safe.” The words escaped me, torn straight from my soul, and echoed through my head. I frowned, rejecting my reasoning even as I said it. Bash was my mate, he would keep me safe. We’d fought together, side-by-side, during the attack on campus, and we’d come out the other end, alive and together.

  Connor had broken me. He’d showed me what it meant to love and then he’d ripped it away, leaving me without answers, a shell of a girl. Then, when I was at my lowest, when my world had been torn apart, I’d learned that it had all been a lie. My life with him had been a lie.

  Tears fell to the snow at my feet.

  In the shadows of the forest I felt her mind whirling, moving through what I was telling her, and braced for the vitriol and accusation that never came.

  “Why aren’t you biting my head off?” I asked, lifting a gloved hand to wipe tears from my cheeks.

  Daniella chewed her lip for a moment, and I realized it was the first time I’d ever seen her without lipstick on. Even when she’d been lying on an exam table, dying from a silver bullet wound, her lips had been stained a deep burgundy color. They’d blanched, pale from blood loss and silver poisoning, but they’d still had color.

  She wore no makeup now and her hair was pulled back in a simple braid. In concession to the freezing temperature, she’d pulled on layers of clothes and was sporting a red and black checkered coat like the ones the men back home wore to chop wood or check their snares.

  The princess looked… normal. It creeped me the fuck out.

  “Seriously,” I said, eyeing her with concern. “Did you hit your head or something? What’s wrong with you?”

  Her laugh was quick and had the edge of mania. I blinked in surprise.

  “How do you do it?” She asked with another chuckle as she lifted a hand to pull absently at her braid. “How are you not breaking right now?”

  I narrowed my eyes at her in disbelief. “Are you serious?” It was my turn to laugh now. “I’m a hair's breadth away from losing my shit every minute of every day.” I gestured towards her. “Like you care. You made it your mission in life to chase me off, from AWA and Bash. You don’t even know me!” My voice rose sharply, echoing through the woods.

  “I know Bash loves you,” her voice shook, and her eyes shifted as tears brimmed, making them impossibly greener. “I know you saved my life even though I’ve been nothing but a bitch to you since the moment we met.” Daniella swallowed hard and pushed to her feet. “I know that when this connection we have opens up,” she gestured wildly between them, “I’m overwhelmed by your terror and your love for my brother. It nearly drowns me.” She thumped her chest. “So, how are you not breaking right now?” Daniella’s voice broke on her repeated question.

  I softened; I couldn’t help it. She was the bitch, usually, not me. So, I did the only thing I knew how to do and reached out to her and was bluntly honest. “I have no fucking idea.”

  She choked on a laugh then pressed her hand over her mouth as if she’d been caught making noise in a library by an overly strict librarian. Behind her hand, her cheeks tipped up and laughter danced in her green eyes.

  Love for the man who shared those eyes made me swallow.

  “The truth is, I was barely keeping my shit together before our plane crashed in the middle of the wilderness, and I’ll keep barely keeping my shit together until we’re rescued. Think you can do the same?” I watched her expectantly.

  Daniella took a deep breath as if she were actually putting some thought into my question, then nodded. “Yeah, but when we get back, I’m breaking out a bottle of vodka.” She smiled and took a step back towards camp then paused and glanced back at me. “You coming?”

  I fell into step beside her and enjoyed the tentative peace we’d brokered, knowing it could fail at any moment.

  We separated when we got back to camp with Daniella moving over to join a group searching through the front end of the plane while I moved over to a scattered pile of luggage and containers that had ended up in the bushes.

  It was cold and boring work, but as the saying went, somebody had to do it. Besides, every once in a while, someone would make a wonderful discovery, like a first aid kit or an iPod with music that lifted our spirits.

  My fingers burned from the cold and had turned stiff and uncooperative, making the job
of searching much harder than it should be. I fumbled with a lock and cursed under my breath when its cold metal sliced a line across my fingertip. Blood welled and I stuck it in my mouth without a thought.

  When the bleeding had stopped, I flexed my fingers and rubbed them together, trying to restore circulation to the tips. It worked, some, but I faced the fact that I’d need to shift soon or risk frostbite to my extremities. The lock slipped free and clattered to the ground.

  My heart leaped with joy as I lifted the cover of the heavy box that I’d found half hidden in the bushes. I raised my head and called out with a grin, “You guys! Come see what I found.”

  They rushed over as fast as fatigue and the aftereffects of shock would allow and stared down at the thick blankets I pulled out of the box one after the other. With a squeal of pure joy, I held up a handful of hand warmer packs and a bag of jerky. “There’s more here,” I said, sitting back on my haunches with a giddy laugh. I ripped open one of the packs and squeezed my hands around a chemical hand warmer, moaning as the heat quickly spread through my fingers.

  “Thank the Old Ones!” Rachelle grabbed one of the packages and ripped it open with her teeth, then pressed the little warmer up to her cheek and closed her eyes. “It’s so warm.” Her eyes popped open and she reached for another. I blocked her with a frown.

  “We need to conserve these in case rescue takes longer than anticipated. It’s going to be a long cold night, Rachelle.”

  The look she gave me would have been scarring if I hadn’t already built up a thick skin from Daniella’s glares. When I just cocked an eyebrow and stared back, Rachelle turned with a huff and stalked away.

  How the fucking hell had I managed to get stranded in the middle of the wilderness with a pack of spoiled brats? There couldn’t have been a ranger or something aboard the plane. Shame rose up to push my frustration aside. Those with the kind of skills I thought of as “useful” were dead now. I closed my eyes and blew out a slow breath.